Archive for the ‘People’ category
December 1, 2008
Today is December 1st and that also means that it is World AIDS Day. Since the 80’s I’ve seen the little red ribbon surge in popularity and create a whole new way of showing support for a cause, to being left in the drawer and almost forgotten. There are even those who believe that the whole AIDS Crisis was made up. Kind of hard to believe that when you have over 25 million people dead between the years of 1981 and 2007.
A great deal has been done, but there are still more than an estimated 33 million people living with HIV today. As the years pass there is a new picture emerging of AIDS. In the 80’s it was young “reckless” people, living “reckless” lives. Now, almost 30 years later, those young people are either well into middle age or are retiring.
The first World AIDS Day took place on December 1, 1988. Twenty years later the red ribbon seems to have been with us forever. Today, say a prayer for those who are dealing with this pandemic and their families. And say a prayer that we find a cure and put this virus into history along with smallpox and polio.
Categories: Awareness, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Life, People
Tags: aids, pandemic, world aids day
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November 28, 2008
In our city there is a ritual that takes place the week of Thanksgiving that my kids have found irresistible. A radio station, Z93.7, begins to play Christmas music nonstop. They play every kind of Christmas music, from classic to the tunes being created this year. A couple of years ago, this was cute and, I thought, nice for people to get into the Christmas spirit.
Now, whenever we get into the car, the kids automatically ask for “Z93.7“. Obviously it was a good marketing from the radio guys. The kids aren’t asking for “Christmas music”, just “Z93.7” There is no doubt what time of the year it is – it is most definitely Christmastime!
There are a couple of good new Christmas albums that I’ll review in the next couple of days. Also, a new book has come out to help with the money crunch we feel at this time of the year, and I’ll be looking at that as well.
Categories: Awareness, Cultural Ideas, Life, Music, People
Tags: Christmas music, radio, Z93.7
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November 23, 2008
There is a lot going on in what is called the Global South – south of the equator. One of the most promising aspects is that these countries can leapfrog, or skip over, outdated modes of development in order to embrace cutting edge technology. In fact, these countries are not only embracing the cutting edge, they are in fact redefining it for the rest of us.
One of the big areas this is most obvious is in mobile phones. Most of the countries have no existing phone system at all. Since that is the case, there is no need to spend decades, millions of dollars and untold hours of manpower to string a grid of wires when cell towers can go up much quicker. If the cell phone will work, why bother with having landlines at all?
The mobile phone technology is rapidly spreading and preempting the implementation of traditional landlines. There is so much possibility in the Global South as we look ahead and try to visualize the way it will look. We like to think that we are the center of the cutting edge, but in many ways the Global South is the place to be as far as cutting edge technology and practices are concerned.
One of the most exciting things is to watch and look at the impact this leapfrogging will have on other aspects of the social strata. How will these advances effect communication – both personal and public? How will these changes and introduction of complexity into otherwise simple lifestyles augment the development of the individual people and their individual way of making meaning in life?
These are questions with no answers right now, but with implications that will radically change the way we think and communicate in the very near future.
Categories: Awareness, Influence, People, Vision
Tags: Global South, leapfrogging, technology
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November 19, 2008
One of the big topics in education and learning is the concept of Dialogue Education. Jane Vella first proposed the concept in the early 80’s. It draws on a variety of adult learning theories and combines them into an integrated learning experience. The biggest difference is that teaching is typically done in a monologue format, this form is a dialogue. The dialogue focuses more on what the student does and less on what the teacher says.
The implications for this are staggering as we look at the current way in which most learning environments are designed. In the church setting there is a person talking (monologue) and a congregation listening. In the work world during a meeting, there is a person making a presentation (monologue) and a group listening. In most educational settings there is a teacher (monologue) and students listening.
Dialogue education is a form of Constructivism, in that it focuses on the argument that people construct knowledge and meaning from experiences, because of that, Dialogue Education can be a means for transformative learning. The big reason is that it gives ownership to the learner for his own learning.
I know that is lot to digest, but the implications in the church setting cannot be stressed enough. Because of this I’m beginning a series of Dialogues, called Dialogue4Change. At the onset we will discuss the theory and practice of Dialogue Education itself and what its meaning in our different environments:work, family, church.
If there are a majority of people in the Warner Robins area we will meet at Lifepoint Church approximately once a month. If the majority are from further places, I’ll do my best to facilitate an on-line discussion in the same time-frame.
To let me know if you are interested in becoming a part of this cutting edge discussion, email me at dialogue4change@gmail.com. In the next few days I’ll be putting up a separate page that will go into more detail. This is going to be Great!
Categories: Awareness, Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life, People
Tags: conversation, dialogue education, jane vella
Comments: 1 Comment
November 15, 2008
This is from the book Tribes by Seth Godin and it is great:
Most people like the products they already have, so marketers ignore them.
Most people work hard to fit in, so others don’t notice them.
Most people like eating at places where they’ve eaten before.
Most people would like the world to stay just as it is, but calmer.
Most people are afraid.
Most people didn’t use Google until last year.
Most people aren’t curious.
You’re not most people.
You’re not the target market for most marketers.
Almost all the growth that’s available to you exists when you aren’t like most people and when you work hard to appeal to folks who aren’t most people.
Here’s to you. Someone who is most assuredly not “most people”!
Categories: Awareness, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life, People
Tags: Most People, Seth Godin, Tribes
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November 12, 2008
This past week I was rereading some books that I had stacked up, one was Turning To One Another by Meg Wheatley. Great book about the value of simple conversations and being presnt in those conversations. What struck me was a quote by Paulo Freire which said,
“What if we discover that our present way of life is irreconcilable with our vocation to become fully human?”
If you are like me, I don’t often find myself thinking about what it means to be fully human. You may be asking the same question, but for Paulo, the answer is that the vocation, or calling, to be fully human is given to us and therefore signifies that we are part of a larger place.
To become fully human means that we live an open life that is filled with generosity. We become more human each time we make the decision to reach out instead of withdrawing into our personal sufferings and experiences.
We can only become fully human when we extend ourselves. When we create a world of secrecy and whispers around us, we lose life rather than gain life. When we chose to become aloof and non-communicative we allow our ego to reign and prevent our own growth. When we close ourselves off from those around us, we may pretend that we are doing it for our own good. The truth is that we lack the courage to engage real dialogue – conversations where I speak and then become silent and listen. Speeches do not give; they are not generous. Listening and opening ourselves up to one another are acts of generosity. These are the actions that lead to our becoming fully human and going from a human doing to a human being.
Categories: Awareness, Belief, giving, Influence, Life, People
Tags: conversation, dialogue, future, margaret wheatley, paulo freire
Comments: 1 Comment
November 11, 2008
Rumi was a Persian poet who had and continues to have considerable influence in both the Middle East as well as here in America. His poems are known for their spiritual significance and poignancy. One that I felt would be good to share is short and to the point.
“Sit down and be quiet.
You are drunk, and this is the
edge of the roof.”
How often do we become caught up in the activities of the day, drunk if you will, and forget about the life we are living and the world around us. Taking time to consider and think about things consciously is a discipline that is lost from our collective accepted behaviour. Anyone can sit and say that they are thinking, but the truth of their words comes from the actions that follow.
Take some time today and think – if for just 5 or 10 minutes. Focus on the thinking and quiet yourself. Often when you return to your work things will seem clearer. This isn’t magic, it is the way we were meant to live our lives.
Categories: Awareness, Belief, Centering Prayer, Life, peace, People
Tags: quiet, rumi, think
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November 9, 2008
One of my hero’s is Kevin Kelly. Several moths ago I had the opportunity to meet him; it was a major highlight of my life. Kevin talked about the “1,000- True Fans” in an article. Basically, a true fan is someone who is a member of the tribe and cares deeply about you and your work. A true fan is the person who will choose to tell others about you, bring a friend to hear you.
In these days of Facebook and MySpace, the concept of a “friend” is increasingly gaining a cloud of vagueness. This is not so of true friends. If an artist has 1,000 true friends, he has enough to make a good living and help some others along the way. A true friend will not wait for the paperback. They want the hardback or first edition. The major key element that true fans bring is the added intercommunication with other fans. The true fans help to fan the words of the artist into a roar.
The takeaway hear is that you cannot allow yourself to become fixated on numbers. You do, however, want to seek to make and keep fans. A few of these precious true fans can change everything. They just need you to be brave enough to be You.
Categories: Awareness, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life, People
Tags: fans, friend, Kevin Kelly, true fan
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November 8, 2008
I’ve been reading a lot about Crowds. Who they are, and who they are not. The most intriguing aspect of the Crowd conversation is that nobody is discounting that the power leverage has shifted. The ball is owned by the Crowd, and the Crowd determines what the next step is.
The nagging thought that I keep getting is that if a Crowd is simply a large mass of people, the ability to direct, sell, teach, even listen to them is practically impossible. The other thing about Crowds is that they can gather in an instant, but they can also disperse just as quick.
I’ve been to a couple of meetings with “guys in the know” about the next step in church development and where religion plays a part in that development. In every instance there is a focus on the Crowd. A push to get the Crowd involved and bring the Crowd to some central event. The sad part about this is that in essence there is no difference from “marketing to a Crowd” to the old stand on the street corner with a bullhorn approach in terms of truly making a difference.
Sure you may get your church’s name in the paper, but who reads papers anymore? You may create a “buzz”, but then you fall into the same need to have a bigger buzz each time you meet. Most organizations do their best at sending loads of money out to the crowd. I suppose that is OK if your intention is to become just like most organizations – bland and interchangeable. I suppose it is OK if you just want to surf the same wave every other guru is asking people to surf.
It’s not OK if you want to be anything other than “most”. If you have any desire to be remarkable – in other words that someone would have reason to “remark” about you – you have to focus not on Crowds, but on Tribes. As Seth Godin says, “A crowd is a tribe without a leader. A crowd is a tribe without communication…Smart organizations assemble the tribe.”
Categories: Awareness, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life, People
Tags: church marketing, crowd, guru, People, tribe
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November 2, 2008
We have been sold a bill of goods. We’ve grown up believing that the world we live in is static and unmoving. We have been taught that the world that was defined in our history textbook is the same as the world we actually live in. All of these ideas are false – entirely false.
Maybe the textbook writers thought the world was stable and certain, but the army of advertisers who want us to purchase “new and improved” products at an epidemic rate know that they, the ad men, need the world to be a restless unstable place. They need you to change your toothpaste, and change your detergent and change your paper towels. They need you to change these things because they need to “sell” them to you. If you only bought Crest toothpaste, were happy with Crest toothpaste and never knew any reason why you should change from Crest to Aquafresh, the print and television media would suffer. And the ad guy would lose his job.
We have been trained to love the new and stylish item more than the old proven one. Think for yourself. The only emails and YouTube videos that get sent to you are the interesting ones – the provocative ones. No one forwards a boring video or email.
Today, change is the word of the hour. Change is what we want and change is what we “need”. Old and frugal do not get the attention of people. Instead, new and different and loud gain attention. As we embrace the concept that we all are leaders and not just leaders but “needed now” leaders, we have to notice that culture today demands a leader who will dare to make a lot of noise and disrupt the status quo. People want to be a part of a movement and people want change. None of those things are stable and certain.
In the Age of Change the only thing certain is that nothing is certain!
Categories: Context, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, People
Tags: certainty, change, culture
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christopherhildreth 